Lauren Ackerman

Lauren Ackerman’s career has taken an interesting path as a former tech entrepreneur turned vintner and philanthropist. After founding and selling a successful technology marketing company, Lauren and her husband moved to the Napa Valley in the early 1990s after purchasing Stonehaven vineyard. They started making wine in 1995 and eventually began selling their wine commercially, starting with the 2003 vintage. Today, Lauren owns and manages Ackerman Family Vineyards, a boutique producer of Cabernet Sauvignon from the organically-farmed Stonehaven vineyard.

In 2010, Lauren was drawn to a dilapidated Victorian in Downtown Napa. Nine months later, she purchased the home and went to work restoring it. After a painstaking five-year restoration Ackerman Heritage House opened to the public. Today, it is a unique venue hosting small weddings, corporate meetings, intimate food and wine experiences, and afternoon tea. It is Napa’s only authentically historic home that is open to the public for events and wine tasting.

With a passion for community building, business development, education, entrepreneurship and strategic philanthropy, Lauren has served in board or leadership capacities with multiple organizations, including Justin-Siena High School, Copia, Napa Valley Community Foundation, Blue Oak School, Napa Learns, Napa Valley Film Festival, Di Rosa Center for Contemporary Art,; Institute of International Education, SEE International, and 3 Strands.

Lauren is a former director of North Bay Bancorp, chaired the Member Relations Committee for the Napa Valley Vintners Association, and served on the steering committee of the Mayor’s Roundtable. She was elected to the General Advisory Planning Committee 2040, a committee that advises the Mayor and City Council of Napa on strategic initiatives for the next 20 years of Napa’s growth.

As a breast-cancer survivor, Lauren was proud to be the honoree for the Queen of the Valley Hospital’s 2018 Reach for the Stars event as well as being a vintner honoree for the V Foundation in 2018. She joined Festival Napa Valley’s Board of Directors in 2019.